Reinstallation of Palley Pavilion for Contemporary Glass and Studio Arts
Kicks Off the Lowe’s Year of Glass with a Sparkling Celebration
It wasn’t just the glass that sparkled on Tuesday, February 6 at the kick-off party for the Year of Glass at the Myrna and Sheldon Palley Pavilion at the Lowe Art Museum. Myrna and Sheldon beamed with happiness as they welcomed nearly 350 family and friends – many of whom came from all over the United States and Canada – to share their life’s passion: their glass collection. Milling about, celebrating Myrna and Sheldon, dazzled by the glass works of more than 50 artists were Therman Statom, Mary van Cline, Jenna Efrain, and J. Tomás Lopez.
The Palleys donated their 40-plus-year collection of studio art glass to the Lowe at the University of Miami for the entire community to enjoy. “We might have collected the glass, but the collection belongs to the community where we have lived for the past 70 years: attending UM, working, and raising our family,” said Myrna Palley. “Miami and the University of Miami mean so much to Sheldon and me that giving the collection to the Lowe, and making it available for everyone to see and enjoy, was our way of saying thank you. The community has done so much for us.”
The installation of more than 150 pieces, curated by Linda Boone, owner of Habatat Galleries of Boca Raton, features work by Dale Chihuly, Jose Chardiet, Mary Van Cline, KeKe Cribbs, Laura Donefer, Marvin Lipofsky, Harvey Littleton, Richard Marquis, William Morris, Tom Patti, Clifford Rainey, Therman Statom, and Lino Tagliapietra, among works donated to the Lowe for installation in the Palley Pavilion by The Matus Family, Martin E. Messinger, Florence and Robert Werner, Pat and Larry Stewart. Special thanks to Beaux Arts of the Lowe Art Museum for their support of the Pavilion.
At the Tuesday opening, guest artist Therman Statom kicked off the biannual Palley’s Distinguished Glass Artist Lecture Series with a standing room-only presentation. The series also includes hands-on workshops with UM glass artist students and continues with a fall presentation by the internationally-acclaimed sculptor Clifford Rainey, who uses cast glass and incorporates a variety of processes and materials, including recycled American Coca-Cola bottles and the red African soil.
“Myrna and Sheldon’s vision and passion have transformed the Lowe Art Museum into one of the nation’s finest academic art museums, which in turn has been transformative for the entire University,” said Jeffrey L. Duerk, Executive Vice President and Provost for University of Miami. “Their newly reinstalled Pavilion is a testament to the wonder of glass as well as to the Palleys’ importance as collectors in this exciting field.”
About Lowe Art Museum
The Lowe Art Museum is located on the campus of the University of Miami at 1301 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables, Florida. With a permanent collection of more than 19,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of world culture, the Lowe is committed to serving as a vital resource for education and enrichment through art. Its dynamic permanent and temporary exhibitions establish the Lowe as a keeper of memories, a showcase for masterworks, an igniter of awe and wonder, and a bridge between yesterday and today.
Museum gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The Museum is closed on Mondays and University holidays. General admission is $12.50, $8 for senior citizens and non-UM students, and free for Lowe members, UM students, faculty and staff, and children under 12. Admission is free on Donation Day, the first Tuesday of every month. For more information, call 305-284-3535, follow us on Facebook.com/loweartmuseum, follow us on Instagram, or visit lowe.miami.edu.
